| | Resilience Through Amateur Radio for National Preparedness Month |
 | | Graphic courtesy of Ready.gov |
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Amateur radio is an excellent tool for community resilience in times of crisis. The utility value of the critical communications it provides is enhanced by having well trained local Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) groups and other teams. However, to maximize the value to yourself, your family, and your community; an operator must be prepared. September is National Preparedness Month. ARRL’s partners at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are sharing tips to help you be prepared. They are centered around the theme of “Start a Conversation”. |
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, is starting the conversation with radio amateurs to help make sure you, your station, and your family are ready for whatever may come your way. “It’s important that we take steps to ensure that not only are we ready to provide assistance to our served agencies, but that we have a plan for our families as well,” he said. |
Over the month of September, ARRL will share best practices to help prepare you, your station, your family, and your local ARES® group to thrive in times of emergency. “There are times when hams may be activated to serve when all aspects of your life, your station, and your environment are under stress. That’s not the time to start planning or to discover shortcomings,” said Johnston. Johnston encourages any radio amateur who is interested in participating in ARES® to check out the “Join ARES” flyer, then reach out to their local ARRL Emergency Coordinator. If you don’t know who that is, find your local ARRL Affiliated Club, or reach out to your ARRL Section Manager or Section Emergency Coordinator, whose contact details you can find on page 16 of QST or on www.arrl.org/sections. Find resources for ARES® at www.arrl.org/ares and tools to help plan your family’s resilience at www.ready.gov. |
| ARRL Club Grants Will Be Awarded in November |
Applications for the 2024 ARRL Club Grants program are now being reviewed (the application period closed July 26, 2024). ARRL Field Services Manager Mike Walters, W8ZY, said 110 grant applications have been received and the awards will be announced in late November. “Grants are available up to $25,000 and emphasis is given to projects that are transformative in nature,” said Walters. |
Examples of projects include but are not limited to getting on the air projects, ham training and skills development through mentoring, STEM and STEAM learning through amateur radio, station resources for use by the ham community, and emergency communications and public service projects that emphasize training. “Since 2022, $500,000 has been distributed to amateur radio clubs,” said Walters. “With this year’s awards, that total will increase to $1,000,000 awarded. The ARRL Club Grants are administered by The ARRL Foundation. |
| Estate Planning for Hams (What happens to all your stuff?) |
August is National Make-a-Will month. Some estimates show that nearly two-thirds of Americans don't have a plan. For some, it's procrastination. Others don't know where to start. “So many times we hear from the family of a Silent Key who are overwhelmed with what to do with a lifetime worth of amateur radio gear,” said ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL. “Simply thinking through what needs to be done ahead of time can prevent the stress on our loved ones after we are gone.” |
 | | A still frame of the webinar, available on YouTube. |
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ARRL this week held a webinar, hosted by Beal and Dino Papas, KLØS, to discuss the first steps of planning. “It is something that, unfortunately, doesn’t get a lot of attention. The bottom-line up front is, ‘what happens to all our beloved ham gear when that inevitable day comes along that we become a Silent Key?’... Unfortunately, that day may arrive unexpectedly – so we need to prepare ahead of time to make it as simple as possible for our families,” said Papas. On the ARRLHQ YouTube channel, you can see a replay of the 52-minute presentation, along with the question-and-answer section at the end. “Your station is an asset, just like anything else you’ve built and put resources into. Deciding now what happens when you become a Silent Key can help solidify your legacy to ham radio,” said Beal. The ARRL Legacy Circle recognizes the generosity of individuals who have planned support for ARRL through wills, trusts, life insurance gifts, and other ways. The ARRL Legacy Circle ensures that ARRL and amateur radio will continue to thrive for generations to come. |
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| Amateur Radio in the News |
On the Air Sponsored by Icom The podcast takes a field trip to W1AW, ARRL’s Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, to hear from W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, about all the ways to “Practice Code with W1AW,” from daily code practice sessions at a speed that suits you, to Qualifying Runs where you can earn certificates for submitting accurate copy. |
ARRL Audio News Listen to ARRL Audio News, available every Friday. ARRL Audio News is a summary of the week's top news stories in the world of amateur radio and ARRL, along with interviews and other features. The On the Air podcast and ARRL Audio News are available on blubrry, iTunes, and Apple Podcasts. On the Air | ARRL Audio News |
Members of the Highland Amateur Radio Association (HARA), an ARRL Special Service Club in rural southern Ohio, annually place flags on veterans’ graves in the Hillsboro, Ohio, Cemetery. In 2020, the Hillsboro Cemetery Association contacted HARA asking if they would be able to undertake placing flags on about 1,000 veterans’ graves. After quick polling of members showed a positive response, club members placed the flags on Memorial Day 2020 and returned in July to remove and prepare the flags for storage. The one-time assistance has now become a tradition and community service project for HARA. The club was named the Dayton Hamvention Club of Year in 2022. |
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO), and its administrator, Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), have created Superknova, an online educational platform that provides inclusive, equitable access to radio technology learning and training. “Our goal is to broaden participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) by offering no-cost training and education in skills that help prepare learners for STEM careers,” said Valarie Bogan, NSF NRAO SuperKnova Program Manager. The SuperKnova website has a wealth of free educational resources for teachers and learners of all ages. Topics include history of radio astronomy, the physics of radio technology, and even cube satellites. With a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), learners can now enroll in two self-paced courses to learn the fundamentals of radio communications. The Technician Amateur Radio License and EMS course introduces learners to the electromagnetic spectrum using amateur (ham) radio as a vehicle and helps them prepare to take the exam. Those who have earned their Technician license can advance to the General Amateur Radio License and EMS Course. Starting with the basics of radio waves, electronics, and simple radio equipment, students then continue learning challenging topics, such as frequency, propagation, antennas, and general circuitry. “This is a great opportunity to share amateur radio with a new generation of potential ham radio enthusiasts,” said project instructor Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS. Lyndele von Schill, director of the NSF NRAO Office of Diversity and Inclusion, notes that many organizations have come together to make these resources possible. “Thanks to the support of the U.S. National Science Foundation, with administration by AUI, and additional support from the ARDC, the SuperKnova program has emerged as a valuable and free resource to students and educators across the country.” |
ARRL New England Division Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, presented a signed official citation from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy and Lt. Governor Kimberly Driscoll to mark the ARRL New England Division Convention’s 100th anniversary. The presentation, made at the convention’s August 27 grand banquet, was among the special events highlighted at the Northeast HamXposition. The citation read: “On behalf of the residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am pleased to confer upon you this Governor’s Citation in recognition of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) New England Division Convention, held this year in Marlborough, and in deep gratitude to the approximately 13,000 amateur radio operators in the Commonwealth, who dedicate their time, knowledge, and equipment to assist their communities.” Northeast HamXposition Program Chairperson Skip Youngberg, K1NKR, reports the New England Division conventions have been held for one hundred years, although there haven’t been one hundred annual conventions. New England’s first ARRL-sponsored Division convention was held in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 28 – 29, 1924. Division conventions moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1925; Providence, Rhode Island in 1926; Hartford, Connecticut in 1927, and Boston, Massachusetts in 1928. Throughout the twenties and thirties, Boston-based Massachusetts state conventions were typically held in combination with the Boston Hamfest. Division and state/section conventions filled the average ham’s social calendar from the 1920s to the 1960s. Thanks to Program Chairperson Skip Youngberg, K1NKR, for contributing to this story. |
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The 25th anniversary of Route 66 On the Air will have a new twist this year...a California rover. W6V, manned by Annie Lewis, N6ACL, and John Litz, NZ6Q, will be driving the route from Santa Monica, California to Chicago, Illinois, activating historic sites, points of interest and blogging the adventure. They will operate on SSB, FT8 and CW from stop to stop, multi-op single transmitter, and both will be on the air when they stop for the evening. The idea of doing a “start-to-finish” Route 66 rover from one end to the other started several years ago with the help of their friend Dan Reid, KB6UNC, now SK. The event, from 0001Z September 7 - 2359Z September 15, is sponsored by the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club and the Barstow Amateur Radio Club. It celebrates the “Mother Road,” U.S. Highway 66, which was established in 1926 and was the first major roadway improvement to link the West Coast with the nation’s heartland. There will be 23 (1x1) special event stations along the route from Santa Monica to Chicago. In 2023, there were 77 such stations, making a total of 623 contacts during the 9-day event. Email route66ota@yahoo.com with questions or for additional information. |
 | | This image was taken on August 29, 2024. [Photo courtesy of NASA SDO/HMI] |
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For this Friday’s ARRL Propagation Bulletin, ARLP035: The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) issued a geomagnetic disturbance warning at 0200 UTC/29 August 2024. “The solar wind environment remains elevated due to ongoing coronal mass ejections (CME) effects. G0 - G1 geomagnetic conditions are expected on 29 August. Increased geomagnetic activity expected due to coronal mass ejection for 29 August. Geomagnetic activity forecast 29 August G0 - G1.” This week, seven new sunspot groups emerged, with two on August 22, one on August 25, two on August 26 and two more on August 28. Average daily sunspot number declined slightly from 180.3 to 177.1, and average daily solar flux from 232.7 to 229. Planetary and middle latitude A index averages were about the same, at 12.3 and 12. Predicted solar flux shows 220, 215 and 215 on August 29 – 31; 210 on September 1; 215 on September 2 – 4; 250 on September 5; 275 on September 6 – 8; 280, 285, 280 and 280 on September 9 – 12; then 275, 270, 265, 260, 255, 250; 245 on September 13 – 19; 240 on September 20 – 21, and then 235, 230, 235 and 240 on September 22 – 25. Predicted planetary A index is 12, 8, 5 and 8 on August 29 to September 1; 5 on September 2 – 16; then 8 and 12 on September 17 – 19, and 5 on September 20 to mid-October. Sunspot numbers for August 22 through 28, 2024 were 175, 180, 172, 178, 202, 170, and 163, with a mean of 177.1. The 10.7 -centimeter flux was 230.6, 241.7, 232.6, 232.6, 232, 221.3, and 211.9, with a mean of 229. Estimated planetary A indices were 10, 7, 10, 7, 5, 11, and 26, with a mean of 12.3. Middle latitude A index was 11, 8, 12, 8, 4, 11, and 30, with a mean of 12. Send your tips, questions, or comments to k7ra@arrl.net. A comprehensive K7RA Solar Update is posted Fridays on the ARRL website. For more information concerning radio propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service, read "What the Numbers Mean...," and check out the Propagation Page of Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA. A propagation bulletin archive is available. For customizable propagation charts, visit the VOACAP Online for Ham Radio website. Share your reports and observations. A weekly, full report is posted on ARRL News. |
- August 31 -- Feld Hell Sprint )(digital)
- August 31 - September 1 -- Russian WW Multi Mode Contest (CW, phone, digital)
- August 31 - September 1 -- UK/EI DX Contest SSB (phone)
- September 1 - 2 -- WARC Tennessee QSO Party (CW, phone, digital)
- September 2 -- RSGB 80m Autumn Series SSB (phone)
- September 2 - 3 -- MI QRP Labor Day CW Sprint (CW)
- September 3 -- ARS Spartan Sprint (CW)
- September 4 - 5 -- UKEICC 80m Contest (phone)
Visit the ARRL Contest Calendar for more events and information. |
| Upcoming Section, State, and Division Conventions |
- August 30 - September 1 | Shelby Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL North Carolina State Convention, Shelby, North Carolina
- August 31 | Summer Symposium, sponsoring the ARRL Santa Barbara Section Convention, Camarillo, California
- September 8 | ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Convention, Mullica Hill, New Jersey
- September 20 - 22 | Duke City Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL New Mexico State Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- September 21 - 22 | Midwest Superfest, sponsoring the ARRL Illinois Section Convention, Chillicothe, Illinois
- September 28 | Red River Radio Amateurs Hamfest, sponsoring the ARRL Dakota Division Convention, West Fargo, North Dakota
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